For environmental, commercial and political reasons, water conservation is an important consideration. Depending on numerous factors, such as just how much water is actually consumed for a particular purpose, water usage can vary substantially. In many instances, the cost of water usage can, and should, be controlled.
At a commercial level, the cost for water usage is typically established merely by monitoring the volume of water that is used. The volume of water that is used, however, will necessarily depend on actual requirements, which will be site specific. In particular, for irrigation purposes, how water usage is managed is an important issue. For discussion purposes, and with a specific consideration for irrigation systems, consider golf courses.
Each golf course is unique and it will have unique water requirements depending on the topographical and meteorological considerations of the particular golf course. Moreover, the vegetation on a particular golf course will also vary from course to course, and the vegetation will differ from location to location on the same golf course. Also, the different forms of vegetation will have different water requirements.
For the efficacy of an irrigation system, the water use requirements noted above need to be monitored individually, at each golf course (i.e. topographical site). With this in mind, an effective monitoring program must necessarily provide sufficient information to implement an effective watering schedule. The present invention recognizes that the basic information needed to be obtained during such a monitoring program can be effectively collected using periodic, low-level, aerial surveillance.
For the specific purpose of collecting hydrological data pertinent to a water conservation program at a particular topographical site, the mission requirements for an effective aerial survey mission will depend on two important aircraft capabilities. For one, the aircraft must be capable of precision operational flying at altitudes below 500 feet Above Ground Level (AGL). For another, the aircraft must have a flight endurance capability that will be at least one hour in duration. The present invention recognizes that an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), such as a fixed wing drone or a rotary wing drone, will have these flight capabilities. In particular, the type of UAS that is needed for the present invention must be configurable for a low-level survey mission over a topographical site, when the site is extensive and uniquely irregular, such as a golf course. Based on payload and flight endurance capabilities, the UAS will preferably be a fixed wing drone.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for performing an aerial hydrological-assay of a selected topological site that employs a UAS with an onboard imaging unit for collecting hydrological data of surface conditions at the topographical site. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for performing an aerial hydrological-assay of a selected topological site which converts hydrological data collected by a UAS into an assay report that can be used to establish a long-term, water conservation program for the topological site. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for performing an aerial hydrological-assay of a selected topological site which is easy to manufacture, is simple to use, and is comparatively cost effective.